Mandela’s South AfricaJessica Achberger

This article is the start of a series of the biographies African nationalist leaders, and how the history of these leaders tells the story of independence struggles in Africa.

Perhaps more so than any other African nationalist leader, the biography of Nelson Mandela exemplifies the history of a nation – South Africa – and its struggle for majority rule. Mandela fought for majority rule throughout as his life – first as a protestor, then as a prisoner, and finally as South Africa’s first democratic president.Rolihlahla Mandela was born on July 18, 1918, in Transkei, South Africa to the Madiba clan of the Xhosa-speaking Thembu tribe. By the year of Mandela’s birth, South Africa had already received its status as a minority-led British dominion. This status, which made the country autonomous rather than a colony, had been codified in 1910 after the Boer Wars between the local Afrikaners and the British. Laws that discriminated against the Black majority, including the pass laws which required Black South Africans to carry a pass book at all times, were already in place, but such policies were only magnified in the years of dominion status. For instance, in 1913, the Native Lands Act made it almost impossible for Blacks to own land. In 1931, South Africa was given full independence from the British, and attempts were made to create a compromise that balanced power between the English Whites and the Afrikaner population. It was during this period that Mandela came of age. Given the Christian name “Nelson” at school, Mandela received a good education, eventually studying at the University of Fort Hare and then the University of Witwatersrand for a degree in law in 1943. Yet, despite the fact he did not finish his degree, his time at Witwatersrand, where he was the only Black African student, was instrumental in developing his ideas about race and politics. It was here that he formed friendships with a wide range of individuals, including Jews, Indians, and communists. He also initiated and developed his relationships with future anti-apartheid leaders such as Walter Sisulu and Oliver Tambo during this period. In 1944, as a result of these influences, Mandela joined the African National Congress (ANC), co-founding the Youth League.

Boer War Illustration 1900

In 1948, the White-minority Afrikaner Nationalists of the National Party came to power and began to implement an openly more racist regime. The government classified people into three race groups - White, Coloured, and Black – each with its own rights, a system which came to be known as “apartheid.” During this period, Mandela qualified in law, and in 1952 he opened a law firm with Tambo, the first African-run firm in South Africa. As lawyers, Tambo and Mandela began ardently campaigning against apartheid. For several years, Mandela was one of the most prominent leaders in the struggle, which initially advocated non-violent protest, a tactic that had been successfully used by the Indian nationalist leader Ghandi. Mandela’s mobilization efforts led to his arrest under the Suppression of Communism Act, along with 20 others. He went on trial for treason in 1956, but he was acquitted in 1961. While Mandela was being tried, racial tensions were rising across South Africa. Growing tensions led to the Sharpeville massacre in 1960, in which 69 people were shot dead by police during demonstrations against the pass system, in which Africans burned the pass books they were required to carry. In response to Sharpeville, the ANC was banned, and Mandela was forced to go underground. The creation of the military wing of the ANC in 1961 led to the establishment of a more violent approach to the battle against apartheid. In response to this new approach, Mandela was arrested in 1962 and sentenced to five years’ imprisonment with hard labor. In 1963, fellow leaders of the increasingly militant ANC were arrested, and Mandela stood trial with them for plotting to overthrow the apartheid government.

Mandela voting in 1994

In 1964, Mandela, along with eight others, was sentenced to life in prison. For eighteen years he served his term on Robben Island, off the coast of Cape Town, now a symbol of the apartheid struggle. He was moved to Pollsmoor Prison in 1982, with the fight for his release already begun. Tambo, in exile, sought to bring international attention to the apartheid struggle by turning the spotlight onto Mandela. Rather than fighting for the cause of majority rule, he encouraged people to fight for the release of Mandela. His campaign worked, and by 1988, millions around the world sang “Free Nelson Mandela” with a crowd of celebrities gathered at Wimbledon Stadium. Popular force led to political force, and governments tightened the sanctions that had originally been imposed on the apartheid regime in 1967. The ANC ban was lifted in 1990, and the move towards majority rule initiated through talks between the apartheid government and ANC leaders. In 1990, after 27 years of imprisonment, Mandela was released. In 1994, Mandela was elected South Africa’s first black president, the culmination of years of anti-apartheid efforts. Mandela has, throughout his life, served as a unifying force for the South African people. While he stepped down as president in 1999, after serving only one term, he has remained a leader in the imagination of South Africa. As his health deteriorates, many have questioned what a South Africa without Mandela will look like. It is certainly true that the nation faces great difficulties, particularly in terms of income disparity, violence, and race relations. Years of apartheid took their toll on the politics, economics, and social structure of the country. Yet, despite differences and difficulties, all look to “Madiba” as the personage of the positive aspects of the South African struggle for majority rule. Further Reading: